NBC to broadcast Rugby 7s USA College Championship

I wouldn't get too caught up comparing it to other games, larger or smaller. The important thing is to make sure that the growth continues. The potential is starting to be realised, but success is still mostly all ahead of Rugby. Think about what it will mean if this recent growth isn't banked, would the game have another chance as good as this? Maybe the time is right for the Wallabies and All Blacks to reconsider that Denver match?

This is another interesting development for US Rugby too: http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=478244.html "Universal Sports Network, NBC Sports, and the International Rugby Board today announced a partnership that will bring national television and digital media coverage of the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup tournaments. Universal Sports, the preeminent destination for Olympic-related sports programming, and NBC Sports will provide full, multi-platform coverage of all 48 matches during the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand and the 2015 World Cup in England. Two matches in each tournament, including the Finals in 2011 and 2015, will air either live or on a same-day delay on NBC Sports. Live and delayed match video will also be accessible at www.universalsports.com, and on Universal Sports' mobile platforms. Universal Sports' and NBC Sports' match coverage will feature a studio pre-game show, halftime and post-game shows, as well as several other production enhancements, and will be offered in high definition". It looks like Universal/NBC has seen something worth investing in following the CCI Sevens. Full Rugby World Cup tournaments on a MAJOR network television will provide a huge launch-pad for interest in the game. And with the new law interpretations and a host of exciting young talent coming through at the moment the 2011 tournament looks like it'll be the perfect advertisement for attractive new support to the game in the US. It's very fair to say that Rugby coverage and interest is already snowballing in the USA of late, but with the new CCI Sevens, 3 World Cups (in 2011, 2015 on NBC and 2019 too probably) plus the Rio Olympics in 2016 this could realistically be the decade when the giant awakes from the slumber? Great initiatives are already in place to improve High School (and younger) participation and to also improve and expand the College game. A shot in the arm in the form of major network coverage could really accelerate the growth.

the rise and rise of American rugby. shows the leaguies that our game is actually international.

NBC Thrilled with Inaugural CCI 7s By Alex Goff The arrival of NBC on the rugby scene has only just begun, as the network will be covering the Churchill Cup Finals this weekend on NBC Universal, and is also expected to make another big rugby-related announcement in the next couple of days. Ratings for CCI 7s (with comparison to Lacrosse) (Source The Nielsen Company) CCI June 5 Avg Viewers: 692,000 NCAA Lacrosse Semis June 5: 445,000 CCI June 6: 818,000 NCAA Lacrosse Final June 7: 711,000 (Ed Hagerty photo) But the first NBC effort in rugby is what many fans are asking about. Staged in conjunction with USA 7s LLC (which is owned by the same company that owns Rugby Magazine), the Collegiate Championship Invitational (CCI) 7s tournament in Columbus, Ohio drew a small but acceptable crowd (total for the weekend less than 10,000) but also drew solid ratings on the NBC network. Executive Vice President, NBC Sports Jon Miller was thrilled. “I would say on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the event an 11,” Miller told RUGBYMag.com. “I was really happy with the vent, and especially happy with the job USA 7s did in executing it. They did not under-deliver. The level of athletes and quality of rugby and qualify of play was outstanding.” The only negative, Miller said, was that the city of Columbus did not rally behind the event. Local press was ho-hum about it and Mayor Michael Coleman, after boldly promising to fill the stadium at the tournament launch event, didn’t even attend the tournament. Judging from feedback from the tournament and NBC, it is unlikely Columbus will be the host city next year. “A number of cities saw the event and put their hands up to say they wanted to host,” said Miller. But other than that? “Everyone was very pleased,” said Miller. “The sponsors were extremely happy, and so were we. And everyone saw how good the games were.” So the big question – what about the ratings? According to Nielsen, NBC averaged 692,000 viewers on Saturday, June 5, during pool play. On Sunday, during the championship matches, including the riveting final between Utah and Cal, the broadcast averaged 818,000 viewers. No, it’s not American Idol numbers, but compare it to lacrosse, a sport played in North American for centuries and which has been on TV for longer and more consistently than rugby. On the same weekend the NCAA Lacrosse Championships were held. Average viewers for the two semifinals on Saturday were 445,000. Monday’s final drew 711,000. College rugby 7s, in its first network appearance, outperformed lacrosse by 55.5 percent on Saturday and 15 percent on the second day. “It’s a very good start,” said Miller. “USA 7s did a great job. They set up the format and it was brilliant how they did it.” Word is that qualification tournaments could be set up to lead into the 2011 CCI 7s. NBC likes that idea, and continues to look at rugby as a sport they want to cover on the long haul. http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/collegiate-7s/nbc-thrilled-with-inaugural-cci-7s.aspx

I heard the Tv ratings were good for this tournament.

Did anybody know what the TV ratings were for this event?

What was the Tv ratings for this event like?

And Notre Dame and the Ivies have less than that. Big difference between being "a big market name" and a school with a large enrollment. Let's not assume the two are interchangeable.

The College Premier League is progressing. There are now 20 teams committed with both UCLA and Cal Poly coming on board. There are evidently many more who have put theur hands up as being interested in competing. There will be a meeting with all parties involved on the 3rd weekend in May at the National High School Championship where it is hoped the full details of the make up of the competition will be established. Jack Clark mentioned that USARugby have sanctioned the League. This is important in the sense that it removes any form of opposition to it getting up and running. There are only a couple of Schools that should be opting in that have choosen not thus far. Cost seems to be there major factor. It is hoped that the League and individual Schools will be able to draw increased sponsorship to build the League and the various programs.

I don't think it was marketability at all. BYU is more marketable/recognizable brand than Utah. I believe it was because the tournament's second day is on a Sunday, and BYU refuses to play on Sundays (unless, of course, you get drafted by the NFL and there's million$ on the table!).

Rebelyell Marketability. Recognised brands and rivalries. BYU has an excellent program but probably not the appeal of the 16 schools that will attend. Hopefully this event will be a success. USARugby should be buying advertising space to further promote the game and if all goes well thosev behind the push for the College Premier League should use any momentum created by this to try to secure coverage for its first season next year.

Does anyone know why Utah have been invited and not BYU (the current college champs in 15s)?

Broadcast and Match Schedule Released for Collegiate 7’s Championship April 6, 2010 · Leave a Comment The USA 7’s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational has released their broadcast and match schedule. Set to play June 4-6 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio the Championship is the first ever sevens championship at the collegiate level. The USA 7’s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational will be broadcast live on NBC on Saturday and Sunday, June 5-6 from 4-6 p.m. EST and Universal Sports on Saturday and Sunday from 2-4 p.m. EST. “We’ve brought together the best-of-the-best for the inaugural USA 7’s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational,” said Dan Lyle, Tournament Director USA 7’s Rugby. “It’s a great opportunity to expose the sport to a mass audience in anticipation of inclusion in the Olympics.” Here are the Pools for the Collegiate 7’s Championship. ■Pool A: Cal, Dartmouth, Harvard, Notre Dame ■Pool B: San Diego State, Tennessee, Florida, Indiana ■Pool C: Army, Arizona, Navy, Arizona State ■Pool D: Utah, Penn State, Ohio State, Bowling Green As expected, traditional rivalries were kept in tact for the Pool play rounds. Each of the four pools boasts their own rivalry. Rivalry matchups include Dartmouth and Harvard in Pool A, Tennessee and Florida in Pool B, Army and Navy in Pool C, and Penn State and Ohio State in Pool D. The pools have been evenly balanced and present high hopes for the upcoming tournament. Cal obviously comes into the tournament as early favorites, but that’s the great part about sevens. If this were a 15’s tournament… forget about it. But anything can happen in sevens and I expect the inaugural Collegiate Sevens Championship to have some surprises in store for all of us. “Rugby Sevens is such a fast-paced sport that once you watch it you get to appreciate how much endurance and skill it takes to play the game,” said Ohio State head coach Tom Rooney. “Creating a tournament to match up the best of the best on the university level is a great way to showcase the sport to a growing fan base.” Broadcast Schedule: ■NBC Sports live coverage from 4:00-6:00 p.m. ET on June 5 and 6 ■Universal Sports live coverage from 2:00-4:00 p.m. ET on June 5 and 6 ■NBC Mobile live simulcast from 4:00-6:00 p.m. ET on June 5 and 6 ■Hulu.com full event coverage available on-demand in HD quality video If the first ever Championship wasn’t a monumental enough event for you, the broadcast is the most comprehensive coverage of any rugby event in the history of American rugby. The Olympic inclusion of sevens has been a watershed moment for the sport in America. Broadcasters are finally beginning to take notice of the fine qualities of the sport that we know about already. Forget that the exposure is coming via sevens. It is exposure that we need to grow the game at all levels (sevens, 15’s, youth, high school, college… whatever). Celebrate it… support the Collegiate Sevens Championship and let’s make sure that this isn’t a one-time event. http://rugbyamerica.net/2010/04/06/broadcast-and-match-schedule-released-for-collegiate-7s-championship/#more-856

Details Grow on Collegiate 7’s Championship March 30, 2010 · Leave a Comment Details are firming up concerning the new Collegiate Sevens Championship set to play June 4-6 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. One of the most exciting developments of the past year, the Collegiate Sevens Championship puts college rugby and sevens on display on a platform that has previously shunned rugby. A few of the teams have changed from the original report, but all of the big names are still there. The sixteen team field now consists of Cal, Indiana, Notre Dame, Penn State, Dartmouth, Harvard, Florida, Tennessee, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, Army, Navy, Ohio State, San Diego State, and Bowling Green. While the news of the championship is relatively new, teams were contacted as early as January by USA Sevens, LLC regarding the tournament. The teams have been announced, but many of them are still awaiting official approval from their Universities regarding their participation in the championship. NBC has provided teams with informational packets requiring permission to use logos and other permissions that will have to get final approval from athletic departments. “We forwarded the documents to the Director of Student Recreation (we are a sports club and as such fall under their governance). They have indicated that they will help us work our way through the various channels, including the Legal Department, to see if we can meet the contractual obligations,” said University of Tennessee Head Coach Butch Robertson. While the obligations may be steep, this is a positive step forward for rugby and the perception the sport receives on campus and in the media. The fact that NBC is going, at lengths, to secure all the proper rights to market the various collegiate brands immediately raises rugby above all other club sports at the universities involved. Future progress may help rugby stake a foothold akin to varsity athletics. A position some teams have worked very hard to obtain. “I imagine that we will gain more momentum and traction with the University and Alumni, particularly if we represent ourselves well,” said San Diego State Head Coach Matt Sherman. ”It could lead to future opportunities to showcase sevens around other athletic events, like half time at a football game. It could also potentially lead to greater assistance on campus in the form of funding, access to facilities, etc.” “The colleges are the future of rugby in the United States,” said USA Sevens CEO Jon Prusmack. “Teaming with NBC Sports takes Rugby Sevens to the next level.” The pools for the tournament will be released in the weeks leading up to the tournament. It’s a pretty good estimate that they will rank the teams and divide the pools up evenly, with some consideration for natural rivalries. Expect to see Penn State/Ohio State, Army/Navy, and Florida/Tennessee in the same pools to ensure that the historic collegiate rivalries get their time to shine on national television. San Diego State’s Matt Sherman summed it up nicely, ” I think sevens is a game that’s attractive to spectators and sponsors with its pace and flow, that’s simple and easy to understand for those new to the game, that has higher levels of parity making most matches competitive between teams that might be miss matched in a 15’s game.” Sherman also added, “I think the Collegiate 7’s championship is particularly great because we’re seeing the value of college brands being invested in by a network channel.” “Rugby Sevens is an exciting, fast-paced sport that is growing in global popularity, participation and interest,” said NBC Sports executive vice president Jon Miller. “USA Sevens is the ideal partner for this event, which features the best collegiate rugby teams in the country.” The inaugural Rugby Sevens Collegiate Championship, a combined effort between USA Sevens, LLC and NBC, will broadcast on NBC Sports on Saturday and Sunday, June 5-6 from 4:30-6 p.m. (EST). Universal Sports will provide extended coverage on Saturday and Sunday, June 5-6 from 2-4:30 p.m. (EST). This inaugural tournament opens a new chapter or rugby in America and the rightful respect that college rugby deserves. The tournament also brings to light the lack of a plan from USA Rugby in regards to sevens. The Olympic decision was a foregone conclusion that many had expected since last summer. The final stamp in October was a formality. Now, almost six months on from the announcement, USA Rugby has produced no formal plan for the advancement of sevens (at any level) in the United States. The reality is that, as an Olympic sport, rugby sevens is now the more visible and recognized variation of the game in America. USA Rugby has stumbled on this very important leverage point as they prepare for the Eagles to win one game at the 2011 World Cup. This is where USA Sevens, LLC has once again stepped in and proved to be one of the mightiest torch-bearers for rugby in the USA. Aside from the hugely successful USA Sevens tournament, they now have stepped up to the plate and partnered with NBC to launch the Collegiate Sevens Championship. The tournament is ripe with possibilities and could easily expand into four qualifying tournaments with sixteen teams apiece. Do the math and you get… ahem… 64 teams. Just like March madness. The biggest issue at hand is the incorporation of sevens into the already muddled college rugby season. Theoretically, the championship only needs two weekends to complete. The first weekend to play the qualifiers and the second for the championship. Opinions and speculation, on the subject, have varied from making the fall into sevens season to simply taking two weekends out of the spring to play the sevens championship. Ultimately, the interest of sponsors and the television networks will determine the final resting place for the competition. Regardless of what USA Rugby or anyone else has to say about it. That being the case, don’t expect NBC or USA Sevens, LLC. to even attempt to compete with college football for revenue dollars or fans. To do so is just asking for failure and neither group is going to put the Collegiate Sevens Championship in that position. Anyone backing a proposal for a fall sevens season is setting the commercial aspects of the competition up for failure. Tennessee Head Coach, Butch Robertson finished, “any positive exposure for the game in this country is good. The fact that a major network is on board to broadcast the tournament indicates that they recognize the possibility of a revenue source somewhere.” A press conference to announce the final details of the championship is set for April 6th in Columbus, Ohio. The press conference includes a final list of participants, TV broadcast schedule, sponsors, and pool breakdown. http://rugbyamerica.net/2010/03/30/details-grow-on-collegiate-7s-championship/#more-769

Nipper After listening to Collegetalk on ARN and particularly Jack Clark regarding College Rugby. Apart from his scathing critism of USARugby he brought up the potential College Premier League. He briefy mentioned a format that had been decided upon. Well here's an article that goes into a little more details showing the concept may have legs. http://www.americanrugbynews.com/artman/publish/college/College_Premier_League_i.shtml

Regarding the NCAA, I think the theory has been to get rugby's "foot in the door" at the NCAA. I could be wrong. But I don't see how it could be a detriment in any way. I don't know if USA Sevens or USCRA could or even should take over college rugby. But somebody has to do something.

Nipper Achieving NCAA status would be ideal , however, having Women's Rugby on the emerging list is a detriment rather than a strength. I'm not saying that Women's Rugby doesn't deserve recognition. After thoroughly enjoying the coverage of the Women's event in Dubai last year they deserve as much recognition as their male counterparts. But not too long ago while reading an article specifically about the NCAA structure's relating to Rugby (Womens) it came to a less than satisfactory conclusion. Evidently each and every male NCAA sports have a female eqivalent i.e. Baseball - Softball etc. The only mainstream sport that had no real alternative for Women was Football. Can you see where this is going? For all intensive purposes and a major reason as to why Women's Rugby was listed at the very least as a 'emerging sport' was to provide female athlete's an alternative to Football hence satisfying the NCAA requirement. With Womens's Rugby whether rightly or wrongly occupying this role there appears to be little of no room for the much larger male sector to find its place. When you sit down and think about it considering the Male College Clubs number at least 400 well and truly ahead of the Women's structure the prospects of NCAA status seem very limited if non-existent. I don't know if USARugby know this or are just naive to it but its seems pretty obvious. Even though I seriously doubt Football would lose its NCAA status without a female alternative does anyone really think that arguably the largest sector of american Sports ( College Football) would simply roll over. Not bloody likely. So with this in mind Rugby and its growing community in the States have to get creative in expanding and creating competitive and attractive League structures. It can be done. A couple of great example of this is the aptly phrased 'Youthquake' occuring not only in Northern California but in SoCal while similar efforts are making inroads in Florida. It appears that USARugby will be hard up getting anything remotely resembling the proposed College structures in their Strategic Plan in the near to medium term. for American Rugby to progress toward the next level changes need to be made now. USCRA can be a vessel for change if and only if each and every College program agree to use it to bring about not only a Premier Div 1 Championship but the subsequent division below. Much of this movement will have to come from within. As for USA 7s. As you pointed out they are a media company. But I doubt if presented with a well thought out potentially attractive structure that they at the very least would look into its viablility. considering companies of the like tend to always be seeking more and more commercial opportiunities and their recent movement regarding College 7s they could be the perfect facilitator needed to get the ball moving for Rugby at the Collegiate levels in the States.

Let's not forget, though, that USA Sevens LLC is simply the owner, producer and promoter of the USA 7's "event". While their owner, American International Media, also publishes a rugby magazine, they're still a media and event company. They do great a job, and resuscitated the USA7's tournament that USA Rugby had starved to death, they're still "just" a media and event company and not set up nor experienced in running and structuring competitions and the like. That said, they could probably do it if they had the mind... The NCAA would be the ultimate option, but that's not going to happen in the near future (for Men's College Rugby, anyway).

I would love to see college rugby out of the hands of USA Rugby. The college game is far too vital a tool to be wasted with committees. There is an up swing of momentum and that needs to be harnessed right now if rugby is to be successful in the US. USA 7's is a great company that has done more for rugby in the US in resent years than USA Rugby. They would be a great group to control elite level rugby in the US, but I'm not sure about college rugby. Honestly, control of college rugby eventually needs to go to the hands of the NCAA. Only then will the sport have universal acceptance within the American mainstream sports community. Indeed, the natives are restless...

Working Class: Without having listened to the podcast yet (this damned work thing keeps getting in the way...), I can pretty much summarize the issues, as they aren't new. First, everyone is excited about the NBC deal. Some, like myself, are concerned about their first foray into Collegiate 7's being televised nationally, but the fact that it's happening is a huge step forward. Remember, there currently are no college 7's tournaments or competitions. Secondly, as far as the Strategic Plan, many are up in arms over it, particularly the section that addresses development of the College game. The long-awaited strategic plan - many months late- basically lays out their plan: hire a director of college rugby, and form a committee. That's the strategy -- hire a new director to oversee a massive number of clubs in a time of transition. Not exactly the response that the collegiate community has been asking and waiting for. So, they're not too happy. A good number of people in the collegiate rugby community feel that USARugby has neglected college rugby, instead focusing on the Eagles -- a top-down approach. But the colleges pay the bulk of the dues that fund many of USA Rugby's initiatives, yet the only thing they really get is a series of national campionship games, hosted and run by the colleges themselves. And many in the USA feel that in order to grow the game in the USA, more focus (i.e., $$) needs to spent on youth, high school, and college rugby. That is the growth engine for rugby in the USA. Compounding this, there is a feeling that the "foreigners" - i.e., Nigel Melville and Kevin Roberts - just don't "get" the American sports market. While in the past they have tried to push "academies" and high-performance centers, the grassroots community is saying "we already have some of the greatest sporting infrastructure in the world -- our American university system. Shouldn't we be looking at getting rugby integrated into that "varsity" system, rather than trying to build a parallel system?". This is going to sounds like braggadocio, but the sports infrastructure and facilities in any of our top 100 university sporting programs would rival the top professional sports setups anywhere in the world. This summary is obviously a gross over-simplification, but I think it gives you a sense of the issues. The upshot is that certain groups are sick of waiting for USA Rugby to do something, and they're doing it themselves. For example: * USA Sevens, LLC has gone and negotiated the NBC deal. As far as I'm aware, USA Rugby had little if anything to do with this. It's likely that they were included in the conversation to "play nice". * A new organization has sprung up, the USCRA, which is advocating that more attention and funding should be focused on college rugby (and that they're the group that should oversee it). * The new college Premier League is another example -- while not much is clear about the plans, it seems that this is being planned outside the auspices of USA Rugby. So essentially, "the natives are restless" and feel (rightly so, in my opinion) that USA Rugby isn't caring for and feeding is greatest asset - the college game, and there are quite a few people out there who are sick of waiting, just to be thrown a bone like this College initiative in the Strategic Plan.